Page 84 of An Eye For Illusion

“We don’t know that the police interacted with either of them. They could’ve been headed anywhere.” He avoids the question, and it gets under my skin.

“Whatever you say, man.” He won’t get into it with me. Whether he’s clammed up for his own reasons or it’s because of the ass chewing we got from Liam, he won’t talk about it now.

This morning, Liam called a meeting with us about the case. We initially tried to downplay the situation, but Liam saw the bullet hole in the truck bed from the confrontation with Carlo. It was all downhill from there. I told him everything, including how I’m the reason we’re in this mess. Donovan tried to help and made sure I didn’t end up dead.

“What the hell is going on here, guys? This case is getting away from us and I won’t let that happen so you two better tell me what the hell is going on?!”

Liam is the most pissed that I have ever seen him.

“We’ve got it handled…” Donovan tries to soothe Liam but all it does is infuriate him more.

“Bullshit! There’s a bullet hole in my truck, D! A bullet hole! You two are so damn deep in this case that you can’t see just how close to fucking it all up you are!”

“I won’t let that happen. I almost have everything we need boss. I just need to tie up a few loose threads in the case,” I answer.

Liam stands and paces in front of us. We are sitting in two chairs in front of his desk. His hands are on his hips and his gaze is casted towards the floor. He is deep in thought, the silence in the room is deafening.

I feel like we’ve been called into the principal’s office, and we are here for Liam to divvy out our punishment.

He finally looks up, “Tell me right now why I shouldn’t pull the two of you off of this case?”

My stomach literally revolts at the idea of not finishing this for Jade. I push forward in my seat and stand. I can’t let him do this. I can’t lose this case.

“Liam if for one moment I thought that I couldn’t close this case I would tell you, but you know as much as I do that I’m the best there is on the west coast. Let me finish this,” I plead.

“I’m more worried about your safety than some damn socialite who wants out of a marriage.” He talks about Jade with so much disdain that I lunge towards him and grab the lapels of his expensive ass suit.

“Don’t talk about her like that.” My blood pressure is rising by the second and I know I need to reel my reaction the fuck in because that isn’t going to help me stay on the case.

His eyes go wide in disbelief as he looks down at my hands that are holding his lapels tightly. He reaches up and grabs my fists and pulls to release my grip. I willingly let go and take a step back.

I fucked up and took it too far, but I can’t stand him talking about her like that. Like she’s just some rich princess that wants out of a marriage just because.

“I apologize. I shouldn’t have done that, but Jade is so much more than what you think and this isn’t just some case about some spoiled brat wanting to get out of marrying her daddy’s pick for her. Elliott is into some serious shit and Jade is in danger. If you pull me off the case now we lose the upper hand and risk putting her in harm’s way.”

Liam finally stops seething and really looks at me. He takes a beat to measure my sincerity and the severity of the situation.

I believe down to the marrow of my bones that if I don’t find a way to stop Elliott Moore and Vinny, Jade will be in danger by marrying him.

Liam closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath, “I see. That does change things then. I am going to say this as clearly as I possibly can. YOU will find what you need to end this and get the hell out of there. EVERYTHING will be by the books; we can’t afford for this shit to go sideways.”

The tightness in my chest loosens and I nod my head. “Yes sir.”

“And keep your damn dick in your pants, Colin.”

I look towards the floor not willing to agree to that last command because, well, I can’t and won’t promise something I have no intention of keeping.

“Donovan that goes for you too. We don’t need your past coming to bite us in the ass,” Liam scolds.

Donovan responds with another “Yes, sir,” looking just as chastised as me.

“Now tell me everything from the beginning...”

Liam’s orders still ring in my head. He’s pissed right now, but as soon as the case is closed, he’ll let it go and likely never bring it up again. This case is one I’ll be glad to put to bed, too. I want to see where things lead with Jade. This case is a constant reminder that I can’t have her… yet.

We pull up to Vinny’s birthday party. We’re early intentionally. It’s already dark as we pull into the driveway. This isn’t the house Frankie took me to when I hotwired the car. This is a much larger, much nicer house, and it’s in a nicer, more secluded part of town.

Accent lighting is everywhere, complimenting the home and the landscaping. Donovan and I don’t even look at each other as we exit the truck. Before our doors close, Vinny walks outside.

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